Submitted by Allison Fitzgerald on the 2020 winter session program in South Africa sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management…
I have been in South Africa for a week. I absolutely love it here, and it is everything I imagined it would be and more. At the same time, it is completely different than what I expected. When I previously pictured South Africa in my mind, I conjured up images of flat grassland and lots of dryness. In reality, South Africa is quite green and there is a lot of elevation in the land. Because I am a native Delawarean, I would even go as far as to say the landscape contains mountains (similar to the Appalachians in the United States).
Another thing that I am completely shocked about is how genuinely nice the people are here in South Africa. One thing I was continually warned about before I left the States was the crime here. While that is a completely valid concern because South Africa has a very high rate of violent crime, I have never been surrounded by such kindhearted, warm, and welcoming people. The individuals working in the hotel I am staying at are always eager to have a conversation. I can even walk past someone on the street, smile and wave, and have the same actions reciprocated. Unfortunately, that energy cannot be duplicated in the United States. I think the U.S. has much to learn from South Africa with respect to humanity and how to treat one another with kindness and respect. Ubuntu is a word I learned in preparation of this trip, and it has gotten even more important during my time here. Ubuntu is the spirit of human kindness, or “I am because we are”. If the United States tried applying more collectivist ideas to the way we live, I truly believe there would be improvements in societal functioning in America. We should learn to look out for not only ourselves, but everyone around us.